Over 4 per cent of UNE’s students are Indigenous, bringing their traditions, stories, and wisdom to our campus.
Yinga Kara is the Anaiwan word for ‘my path’ and the program is running for the fourth time in its current format ahead of the start of Trimester 1 2024.
The coordinator of the program is Lexie McGourty, Student Engagement manager at the Oorala Aboriginal Student Centre.
“For Trimester 1 2024 we have about 26 students joining us, they are coming from as far afield as Perth, Rockhampton and Alice Springs, as well as a cohort of local students,” Lexie said.
“Students have a three day program of getting to know their course coordinators, getting familiar with the campus and Armidale and all the various services, while making connections with each other.
“The most important result of this program is that the students form their own networks and go on to support each other through their studies, which is particularly important for online students.
“We find that the students we connect with through Yinga Kara are more engaged and more likely to stay in touch with us. They can put faces to the names and they are more likely to stay involved with the team at Oorala, or to pick up the phone and talk to us if they need support or advice.
“We have a mixed bag of students and areas of study. Many are non-school leavers and have made the conscious decision to take up university study online, and for that reason they are very committed and driven to succeed.”
And Lexie’s aims for the longer term success of Yinga Kara?
“In the longer term, I’d like to see Yinga Kara lead to an overall increase in student success, engagement and students feeling comfortable in connecting with us. The pandemic changed the balance a little with face to face engagement and I’d like to see people back on campus.
“Students also have the opportunity to get involved by becoming a student ambassadors and help inspire and support future students.
“My other aim for the program is to promote all the services that Oorala offers to our on campus and online students.”
UNE recently ranked fifth in Australia for the quality of its equity and access according to rankings released by the Australian Financial Review.
The inaugural Best Universities Rankings differs from other university rankings in that it recognises both traditional measures of excellence such as research and reputation alongside important, modern measures such as equity and student satisfaction.
Image:
Back row: Simone Haines, Janelle Green, Lexie McGourty, May Zarb, Leilani Greene, Larissa Ahoy
Middle Row: Guido Posthausen, Tess Cullen, Kyia Eveleigh, Sam Fowler, Hayley Ford, Courtney baker
Seated: Uncle Steve Widders, Uncle Colin Ahoy
